7 Days of Justice 2024 - Day 25: Sometimes injustice is just about the money.
- araratchurch
- Jun 23, 2024
- 3 min read
“So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.”
Genesis 37:28 NLT
Take a moment and think about some of the major injustices you see in the world and what the motivation is that drives such injustices. Consider the practice of slavery, the use of slave labor, and the atrocity of human trafficking. Consider the fact that harmful or ineffective drugs and other medications receive“approval” when at the same time, some potentially very effective drugs and other medications, will not receive the same approval because they wouldn’t make somebody rich or would take away from a another very lucrative drug or medication. Consider the act of going in and slaughtering a whole group of people so that you can access something of value like minerals, oil, jewels, precious metals, and so on, over which they have control. Astonishingly, it could be argued that even the Holocaust was, to some degree, about the money.
Indeed, the list goes on and on of terrible things perpetrated, terrible things overlooked, terrible things condoned, all having as a root cause, money. More specifically, you find the love of money, a desired “payday.”
Paul warned Timothy of the many evil deeds that can spring from greed.
“But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:9-10 NLT
Our political system has grown corrupt and justice has been perverted by the practice of “quid pro quo.” Oh, we may call it lobbying, fringe benefits, or advocacy, but a bribe by any other name, is still a bribe, and bribes pervert justice.
The word of God addresses the evil of bribe-taking.
“You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
Deuteronomy 16:19-20 NLT
The writer of Proverbs draws a direct line between money exchanged under the table and injustice.
“The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice.”
Proverbs 17:23 NLT
Make no mistake, our God is a holy God Who expects that we refuse to allow money to distort our handling of justice:
“The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. “Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry. “Who can survive this all-consuming fire?” Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong— these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.”
Isaiah 33:14-16 NLT
We know that in the story of Joseph and his brothers, the brothers wanted to get rid of him. They had every intention of just leaving him to die in that pit.
We saw yesterday that Judah came up with the plan to sell Joseph to some traders. Now, who’s to say that greed of what Joseph had, and/or what he might be given by the father, was not a large part of their hatred for Joseph? The price they got for him, his worth to them, was twenty pieces of silver. The price Judas was paid to betray our precious Lord? Thirty pieces of silver.
Child of God, beware lest you allow financial considerations to cause you to go against what is right, or to be silent about what is wrong.
We may wonder how it has gotten to the point where the selling of aborted baby parts has become very lucrative. We may wonder how people could “turn a blind eye” to the fact that their favorite products are produced by slave labor. We may wonder how elections can be stolen all over the world. We may wonder how rich and/or powerful people can literally get away with murder. Well, wonder no longer. JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
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